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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/6/2018

PG East Cobb Days 1-2 Scout Notes

Greg Gerard      Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Blaze Jordan (Perfect Game)

14u/16u/18u PG/East Cobb Invitational: Days 1-2 Scout Notes | Days 3-4 Scout Notes



Blaze Jordan (2021, DeSoto Central, Miss.) is as dominant of a hitter at 15 years old that you are going to find. The rising sophomore from Mississippi mashes baseballs and continued that trend on Tuesday. In his first at-bat and again in his third at-bat of the day, Jordan hit singles to the middle of the field. The first single was squared up showing leverage and plus bat speed especially for his age. The Mississippi State commit may have not earned a hit in his second plate appearance, but he did put his combination of bat speed and strength present in his swing to the baseball. On a fastball over the inner half of the plate, Jordan squared up the ball down the third base line. The baseball did go foul, but the ball left his bat at 103 mph which is worth noting in itself.

Known for his prowess as a hitter, Jordan did come into the game to pitch in the final inning to earn a three-run save. The 6-foot-1 215-pound standout came in firing and filling up the strike zone with his 91-92 mph fastball while touching 93 mph once as well. He flashed a single changeup in his inning that registered at 77 mph on the radar gun to earn a strikeout. Jordan got the next hitter to ground into a double play as he got to show off his arm strength for his lone frame on the bump.

Ryan Ginther (2021, Station Camp, Tenn.) took the baseball for the Dulin Dodgers 15u Prime club starting on the mound and earning the victory. Ginther has one of the more polished deliveries in his class and a lightning quick arm. With a fastball that consistently sat in the 85-88 mph range and popped up with more 87s than any other velocity, Ginther was able to spot up his fastball very well. Hitters were continually late on the fastball, but occasionally he would offer his changeup to vary speeds nicely. The changeup was a really nice pitch and complimented his fastball nicely especially to righthanded hitters. The changeup was the only offspeed offering that he showed in the contest, but coming from his very quick and clean arm action the 75-77 mph pitch was very effective. The ceiling for the verbal commitment to Vanderbilt is limitless especially as he continues to grow into his 5-foot-11, 164-pound frame. 

 Lane Forsythe (2020, Humboldt, Tenn.) is a young 2020 graduate who is playing in the 15u PG-East Cobb Invitational tournament. The Mississppi State commit displayed a fluid stroke and consistently barrel control as he collected a pair of hard hits in his team’s 6-3 victory. Forsythe also made one of the more impressive plays of the event as well at shortstop. While ranging to his right at shortstop, Forsythe sprawled out and made a diving stab. Propping up to one knee he fired to second base just in time to nab the lead runner and was a half-step away from making a remarkable double play that would have earned a star next to it in the scorebook. The future Bulldog is a scrappy player with a fun overall skill-set to view.

Another young 2020 graduate showed a projectable playing ability while playing in the 15u tournament. Carlson Reed (2020, Marietta, Ga.) of the East Cobb Redbirds stands at a slim and projectable 6-foot-2 165-pounds. He was the starter on the mound in an unfortunate game that resulted in a loss, but what Reed showed on the mound was impressive. The uncommitted righthander sat 84-86 mph from the windup with plenty of angle especially when locating down in the zone. It is worth noting that his velocity did dip as he pitched from the stretch, however, sitting in the low-80s. That aspect can be fixed with some minor adjustments to his lower half. His fastball is straight coming from a longer arm action that wraps around the backside some, but the arm speed is intriguing enough to project more moving forward. Reed may have been give the loss in this game, but his upside is what is most interesting. 

 Walker Trusley (2020, Powell, Tenn.) pitched a really impressive game Tuesday that earned him a no decision due to the game resulting in a tie. Early on his fastball sat in the 83-85 mph range but declined as the game wore on. He did pitch all seven innings in the contest with his loose arm action and advanced overall pitchability. He mixed in a pair of secondary pitches into his repertoire during the contest in a curveball as well as a changeup. His changeup was the better of the two pitches and he showed nice feel for it. The pitch sat repeatedly in the 76-78 mph range with the ability to spot the baseball up nicely. Trusley’s deliberate delivery and loose arm work well with his projectable 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame.

 Jake Poindexter (2021, Chickamauga, Ga.) is an arm that impressed last August at the Perfect Game Southeast Underclass Showcase as a very projectable righthander who could quickly gain velocity from his right arm. Poindexter was up to 82 mph that day and up to 85 mph Sunday pitching 3 1/3 innings. His arm action is clean and the ball comes out really nicely. Poindexter sat in the 82-84 mph range for the duration of his start, but did have some command issues that are worth mentioning. When he stays online and releases out in front, he is able to command the fastball for strikes and mix in his curveball to finish off hitters. The curveball was a hard pitch for him to repeat, but it flashed tight spin and bite when at its best. He likes to work quickly when on the mound. The uncommitted righthander is an arm to follow closely as he progresses.

 Jett Jackson (2019, Burns, Tenn.) is an intriguing uncommitted 2019 righthanded pitcher. Jackson pitched his team to victory Sunday afternoon going 4 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts on a combination of hard fastballs and a power breaking ball. Jackson’s fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range while bumping 90 mph as well on his first pitch of the contest. His velocity dipped after his first two innings but he commanded the pitch well throughout. Jackson is a physical pitcher with plenty of upside. His arm works well through a full arm action. His curveball is what set him apart in this game helping him tally those seven strikeouts. The pitch has a tight spin and he was able to land the pitch for strikes down in the zone as well as bury the pitch getting hitters to chase.  Jackson may be uncommitted at the moment, but that label may not last too long with the velocity and breaking ball he possesses.

 Solomon Washington (2019, Brentwood, Tenn.) produced the hardest hit ball of the day that was put into play, per Trackman, ripping a double that left his bat at 101 mph. The double came on a fastball that clocked 80 mph coming in and was turned around by the uncommitted prospect at a remarkable plus-21 mph. The swing is strong with plenty of bat speed and when on time generates high exit velocities. Washington is a very athletic primary shortstop who is versatile enough to play all positions in the infield. He got the nod at third base in this game and played a nice overall game while showing a strong arm across the diamond.

– Gregory Gerard



Nebraska commit and 643 DP Cougars slugger Luke Boynton (2019, Marietta, Ga.) had himself a day on Monday with two long shots deep to the pull side. The righthanded hitter is a very physical prospect, standing at 6-foot-5 and 220-pounds and the strength and power is the big selling point here for the Georgia product. Boynton has a simple and easy trigger to start the low-effort swing. The ball absolutely jumps off the barrel, both home runs were 95-plus off the bat, and because of the ease of the swing it looks like Boynton isn’t even trying at all. The swing, result, and profile are all similar to that of Mark Trumbo, in that he is going to hit a lot of balls hard and hit a lot of home runs and Boynton could be in store for a big summer.

Looking sharp during a short, two-inning stint was lefthander Davis Rokose (2019, Johns Creek, Ga.) as he provides yet another top arm for a talented Team Georgia ballclub. Rokose’s delivery is short, quick, and he comes right at you with an almost non-existent turn step into a leg lift and fires down the mound. The fastball has tons of life to it, riding and sinking depending on where he put the fastball, and the pitch registered in the 87-89 mph range. The breaking ball has always been a sloid pitch for Rokose, not for it’s pure spin alone but his very good feel for manipulation of the pitch as he is consistently on top of it and can put it wherever he wants. Rokose generated a ton of swing-and-miss over two innings, five strikeouts by my count, and will be followed closely as his rising senior summer is now underway.

Not often do you see uncommitted seniors who just turned eighteen, but Mason Kenney (2018, Milton, Ga.) is the exception and he turned in a very strong start in front of numerous college coaches in attendance. During this scout’s last look of Kenney, he was a primary shortstop with traits to be to be a very intriguing prospect on the mound. Those traits have translated nicely over the past year and there are a lot of things to like about the profile. The arm works well and though the delivery has some stiffness to it, he repeats everything nicely to throw strikes effectively. The fastball worked mostly 86-88 mph while topping out at 90 mph multiple times in the first inning. Kenney mixed in a slurvy breaking ball with some depth in the mid-70s and the projection of the lean frame and how young he is makes for a very intriguing uncommitted arm.

Two intriguing 15-year old prospects too the mound and showed off desirable traits. Khaden Washington (2020, Fort Smith, Ark.) got the start for the Rawlings Arkansas Prospects and the uncommitted arm showed a very projectable 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame with long limbs and a lot of strength to project on the frame. The arm stroke is long, but loose, and the length of the stroke leads to some command inconsistencies but the fastball was showed heavy life. The pitch sat 80-84 mph with good life and topped out at 86 mph. The breaking ball could be thrown for strikes in the upper-60s. The extended three-quarters slot allowed for such life and it really comes out of the hand clean.

Brady Tygart (2021, Hernando, Miss.) was the other arm who got a start against a talented East Cobb Astros squad. What stands out immediately about Tygart is that he isn’t listed as a primary arm, despite that he has a very loose, fluid delivery and arm stroke while repeating well and getting downhill effectively. He ran the fastball up to 85 mph while working in the 80-84 mph range throughout. There’s good balance and the downhill plane allows him to pound the strike zone effectively. The velocity and command drifted a bit as he went on, but there’s a lot to like out of the young prospect.

Opposing Tygart on the mound, Will Turner (2021, Dothan, Ala.) has a smooth lefthanded stroke and can impact the ball with some strength. The swing is naturally lofted with some present bat speed there too and Turner is an athletic outfielder just beginning to grow into his frame. The extension creates some bat speed when out in front and he launched a triple over the head of the right fielder during play. Turner has impressed on this East Cobb team for some time now as a young prospect and it will be fun to watch him all summer.




Young lefthander Carter Holton (2021, Guyton, Ga.) impressed during his 14u season, he is currently ranked No. 77 on the class of 2021 rankings. There is some funk and deception to his delivery, but he ran his fastball up to 88 mph during this short stint with significant life and swing-and-miss created on the pitch. The arm stroke is longer and leads to some timing issues and the front leg has a bit of a Kershaw-esque pause before landing and driving toward the plate. Holton powered fastballs by hitters all afternoon and really racked up the strikeouts. He also mixed in a solid breaking ball that shows potential. Holton is one of the top arms in the class and the upside of the 2021 class in general is going to be fun to follow.




A former PG Select 14u Festival Participant, Brady House (2021, Winder, Ga.) is one of the top players in the class and has started this summer looking stronger and more filled out than in the past. The athleticism hasn’t been negatively affected, however, as he still glides gracefully at shortstop and made a number of impressive plays including one where he ranged to the second base side of the bag to nail a runner on a tough throw. The bat looks just fine as well, he laced an opposite field double and later crushed a long home run to the pull side that left the bat at 92 mph. House’s upside is limitless and the No. 13 ranked player in the class is already looking like a young superstar.

643 trotted out Kennesaw State signee Gage Vailes (2019, Marietta, Ga.) to the mound and he looks the part of a righthanded pitching prospect who is preparing to be evaluated by pro scouts as the summer continues on. The righthanded has a tall, lean, and projectable frame with lots of present arm speed to the current delivery. The fastball has good running life to it, and worked mostly in the 86-89 mph range during this look. The breaking ball was a nice pitch for Vailes as the Kennesaw State commit could run it out of the zone to get some ugly swings and misses with it. Vailes arm speed and frame alone are worthy of a follow, and there is certainly a velocity jump to be had for the Kennesaw State commit.

Harris Beckley (2019, Atlanta, Ga.) hit in the three-hole for 643 yesterday and showed off a smooth lefthanded stroke and some athleticism. The Wofford commit has a short, controlled swing with a line drive swing plane that he works well to all fields. Beckley took advantage of a fastball and drove it into the pull side corner as he hustled around the bases to drive in a run with a triple. Beckley has solid barrel control and can create line drive contact to all fields; he will be an interesting follow for the rest of the summer.




Tennessee commit Mark McLaughlin (2019, Johns Creek, Ga.) came into the game in relief for Team Elite Prime, and McLaughlin showed that he has made a jump from the last time that we had seen him. The body is lean and tall with plenty of room for additional strength to the frame, while the fastball worked 90-91 mph in his first inning of work. McLaughlin settled into more of an 88-91 mph range but he still created significant plane and running action on his fastball when leveraged into the lower third of the strike zone. The slider was a bit sweepy but had very good depth as he was able to get some swing-and-miss with the pitch when located well in the lower part of the strike zone. McLaughlin’s arm stroke is a bit hooked but everything seems to work well and that jump might not be the only one we see this spring.

– Vinnie Cervino
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